Kosheen - "Yes Men" (1999)

Kosheen had a few chart hits in the early 2000s, but their first single went somewhat under the radar. On “Yes Men”, several ingredients of their later success are apparent.

There’s a very obvious influence from the “trip-hop” sound from earlier in the 90s, with a slowed-down breakbeat and a movie soundtrack feel. The percussion and the tones give off a jazzy vibe too - a bit of a contrast with the group’s debut album Resist, which was leaning more towards drum & bass. They can’t be faulted for going in that direction, but this song goes to show that a more chilled vibe worked too.

Catchy lyrics from the joint songwriters are another aspect you associate with Kosheen... in fact, “Yes Men” is so catchy that you wonder where you’ve heard it before. But ultimately, they’re most memorable for the attitude of Sian Adams, who sounds almost too sassy for such a laid-back number. The way her shouts are muffled in the final minute keep them in line with the feeling of the song, while failing to suppress a personality who took the charts by storm.